Mine-car-loading device



H. INGRAM MINE CAR LOADING DEVICE Filed Fe 9.}1922 4 Sheets-Sheet -1 II 5555...; iim

61m: we 1.;

March 18 1924.

March 18 1924.

H. INGRAM MINE CAR LOADING DEVICE Fi led Feb. 9,

1922' A- Sheets-Sheet 2 Q N 7 MM March'l8 1924. 1,487,573

H. INGRAM MINE CAR LOADING DEVICE Filed Feb. 9. 1922 4 Sheets-Sheet} v 4 a2 i ,M m 52* {I} 32 (7 6R 6 I Q WW .5

Gite; mug

March 18, 1924. 1,487,573

H. INGRAM MINE CAR LOADING DEVICE Filed Feb. 9. 1922 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 gwwvnfo o Patented Mar. 18, 1924.

UNITED" STAT S nmwmeam, or Memoir, ILLIuoIsJ MIN -CAR ILOADING; Davida.

Application filed February- 9, 1922. satin missasi's'.

To all whom itmwg concern:

Be it known that. I, HARRY INGRAM, 'a. citizen ofwthe .United States, residing at. Marion, in the county of'Williamson: and;

6 State of Illinois; have inventedcertain new 31'1Ilill1'SQflll Improvements in' Mine Ga'rq Loading Devices, of which the followingis a specification. V

This invention-relates to mine car loading 10 devlces, andzmore particularly to automatic means operatedlby' the raising and" lowering' of the cage to lockand release'mine cars and-f permit them to move" off and' on the. cage.

cageywhile the car is beingfloweredrin'the cage, and 'means"for'releasmgsaid lockingr meanswhen the cagereachesthe bottom or" the shaftto permit the empty car: to move from the cage;

A further object isthe provision o'ffmeans' actuated by' the movement of the empty car' to re-set the locking mechanism on the cage.

A further object of the inventionxis'the" provision of; lockingzmeansarranged" adja+ centthe bottom'of the'shafttohold' a loaded;

car in position "to run on: to the" cage when the cage" reaches thebottoni' of 'the shaft; j A further object isthe provisionof means;

actuated-by the lowering ofthev cage to re= lease' saiclzlo'cking mechanism forithe loaded cars. a

shown one embodiment of the; invention;

In this showing:

Figure 1 is aside:elevationishowingthe cageiatthenbottom of the shaft,

Figure 2'is a planview of a portion of the apparatus shown in F igure' 1,

locking members "ancl associated parts;

Figure 9 is'a' detail sectional view on line 9-9 of Figure 8,-

In the. accompanying drawingsy'I aw to withdrawwhe" rod 12. The

Figure 10 isar vertical sectional" view on Figure} 1' is a detail view of :aportion of the releasmg mechanism; for the loacleclgcars: Referring to: the drawings," the referencelinel0 10of Figurerlyand,

numerali l designatesia mine" cage of ordi-s:

nary construction which is adapted to be" raised and lowered by'suitable means ina' shaft arranged over. a ipiti 2. The cage is z provided?withftrackg 3 to permit a car: 4

to run over the cage? Adjacentleach'end of.

the cage, a transverse shaftifiismounted in suitable bearings "6. Locking members .7; An object ofth'e inventionis the provision 1 of means for locking an empty'car'onia mine are mounted on this'shaft, the: locking 'membeing'secured tofapl'ate'or clip: 10, mounted onftheca'ge'. An actuating-(arm 111-is se curedto one of'the shafts fi at" thev side where thecarisxtogberemovedpV sultable releasing means are arranged at the"v bottomi of thei'shaft. Said releasing: means": and said actuating member-Y cooperate:

to release the car from the cage when the:-

cageis lowered. Asishown; a rodi12 isslicl ablyimountecl ina' pair, "ofihearih'gs '13, and isnor ally: retained :incoperative' position by means foifiaf spring: 14:. This rod, when: normaIi-position, projects int'ozthe bottom of.

the 'slfaft I and the actuatingc member 1 is adapte'dato' engage the' top vof' the rod to 1 turn the shaft 5?.andPrelease; 'theflocking: member 7; 1The'tracksr3 areharranged at an V incline;"Wherebyvtheacar .will pass off the cagetothe left in F igure'l', whenlthe loc'kingmemb'er is released:""A" lever515 is .piv

otally mounted-on a suitable support 16 and is provided with a slot adapted'to' receive a pin 17 carried by the rodi12'. When the.

lockingmemb'er is in operative position, the lever'is in the' dotted line position'shown 1n Figure 1;? The .mineis provided'with tracks 18 on which the car passes after it leaves the;

cage; and in passingf over these tracks, the

lever15 is'moved t'othe full line position then returns therlocking-member 7 to operaspring- 9 employed on the cage are arranged on a track 19 on the opposite side of the cage. These locking members are suitably spaced from each other to look a car in a reserve position, or in position to pass on to the cage. The locking members are provided. with cranks 8, and are mounted on shafts 5. A pair of arms 20 are connected to the cranks, and these arms are connected to the ends of a lever 21 which is pivoted inter mediate its ends, as indicated at 22. An arm 23 is attached to this lever and this arm carries a weight 24 to normally main; tain the locking members in operativeposition. A link 25 is secured to the lever 21, the opposite end of the link being connected to one arm ofa bell crank lever 26-. 'This bell crank lBVBI'xlS pivotallymounted in a suitable bracket 27 and is provided with an arm 28, pro-jectinginto the bottom of the cage. The cage is provided with an arm 29 adapted to engage the arm 28 of the bell crank lever and depress it.

The locking members may be provided with suitable shock absorbing springs '30 which are mounted in suitable housings 31 and are adapted to cushion the movementof the locking members (see Figures 6 and 7 a The cage may be provided with suitable shields 32 adapted to extend up the outside and over the top of the car wheels. The arms 20 may be provided with a plurality of spaced openings 33 at each end to permit adjustment. Similarly, the link 25 may be provided with a plurality of spaced openings 34.

In operation, with the releasing mechanism at the left of Figure 1, in the dotted line position, the rod 12 extends into the bottom of the cage. As the cage is lowered, the actuating member 11 engages the top of this rod and rides on it, revolving the shaft 5 and releasing the locking member 7. Y The mine car then is free to move and due to the incline of the track, it passes off the cage on to the tracks 18. In its movement, it strikes the lever 15, moving it to the full line position and retracting the rod 12.- The actuating member 11 is thencdisengaged andthe locking member-is moved to operative position by the spring 9.

At the same time, the engagement of the trip 29 and the arm 28 of the bell crank lever depresses this arm and moves it from the dotted line position to the full line position. This swings the lever 21 to the full line position and releases the locking mechanism holding the front car, indicated in dot-ted lines. This car passes on to the cage and is engaged by the locking mechanism at the left of the cage which has, in the meantime, assumed its normal position. it hen the locking member adjacent the cage to the right is released, the locking member remote from the cage is, at the same time, 7

moved to operative position to prevent more than one car from passing on to the cage.

l/Vhen the cage is raised, the weight 24; returns the locking members associated therewith to the dotted line position, setting the locking mechanism adjacent the cage inoperative position and releasing the remote locking mechanism to permit a car to move to the dotted line position ready to pass on to thecage.

It is to be understood that the form of my invention herewith shown and described" is to be taken as a preferred example of thesame, and that various changes in the shape, mac, and arrangement of parts may be resorted torwithout departing from-the spirit of the invention or the scope of the subjoined claims.

I claim: 1. A mine car loader comprising a pear of pivotally mounted locking members an ranged adjacent the bottom of a mine cage shaft and spaced-from each other, means for normally retaining the adjacent member in locked'positio n and the'remote member in released position, a pivotedlever ,con-

nected to. each of said locking members, a

bell crank lever having one end operatively connected to said first lever, the other end'of said beli crank lever projecting into the path of the cage, and a trip member carried by the cage adapted tov depress said arm to release said adjacent lockingmember and move said remote'locking member tov operative position.

2. A mine car loader comprising a shaft mounted on a mine cage, a pivoted locking.

member arranged on said shaft and adapted to project upwardly beyond the surface of the cage and engage a car wheel, a crank arm connected to said. shaft, a slidably mounted arm arranged at the bottom of the mine shaft and adapted to engage said crank arm to rotate said shaft and lower said locking member, a springarranged on said slidable arm to normally retain it in projected position, and a lever secured to said arm and disposed in the path of a mine car leavber adjacent the shaft being normally disposed in an operative position and the member remote from said shaft being normally disposed in an inoperative position, a crank connected to each of said locking members and projecting below their pivots, an arm connected to each of said cranks, a pivotally mounted lever connected to the ends of said arms, a weight secured to said pivotally mounted lever to normally retain the adjacent locking member in operative position, a link connected to said lever, and a bell crank lever connected to the end of said crank and disposed in the path of the cage to release said adjacent locking member 10 and set said remote locking member when the cage is lowered in said shaft.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

' HARRY INGRAM. Witnesses:

Jon F. DoWELL, MARK Woonmr. 

